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Yes or no to GMO

A group of about 30 local residents recently gathered to discuss genetic engineering and the future of food – in short, whether we should be saying yes or no to GMOs.

“It certainly is an interesting topic,” said Chad Anderson, an independent crop advisor and fourth generation farmer, at the November Green Drinks meeting.

The Brigden-area man grows three types of crops – his corn is a genetically modified organism while his soybeans and wheat are not.

When he discussed the corn, he spoke about how far behind his yields would be if he was not using genetically modified seed.

“I think as an industry, we haven’t done a very good job of talking about the benefits of GMOs,” he told the group.

In the past several decades, he said, farmers have developed better techniques and tools, “but the real gains came from seed.”

And that’s because the seed is engineered specifically to be sheltered from the pests that threaten it.

“It’s not improving yield, it’s protecting corn.”

As a result, GMOs can lend themselves to reduced pesticide use and a practice called conservation tillage, which reduces soil erosion and requires fewer passes with machinery, which means less emissions.

Still, he understands that consumers are generally against consuming genetically modified food.

“They were labelled early as ‘frankenfoods’ – they’re not seen to be natural.”

He’s heard estimates that 75 per cent of the average person’s diet is touched by genetic modification, but he explained that it’s usually in a small ingredient, like soybean oil or corn that has been fed to meat.

“It comes in the back door.”

With what he called close food – things like fruits and vegetables that consumers eat more or less as is out of the ground – genetically modified options are not being sold, mostly because of consumer pushback.

“The industry has decided not to bring that to market,” he said.

In fact, his non-GMO soybeans are grown as such because he sells them to a non-GMO market in Japan where they are consumed as a ‘close food’ instead of being used as an ingredient in something else.

Many of the issues that he’s read are that people are uncomfortable with the way GMOs have been registered or released.

“They’re afraid of being guinea pigs.”

But there are also a number of concerns about seed ownership, since most GMO seed comes from a handful of large companies, and possible release to nature.

Still, depending on the consumer’s other demands, GMOs might be the best option.

“Do you want cheap food? Do you want safe food? Do you want environmentally friendly? What do you want from a farmer?”

The answer to those questions, he said, will help determine how we, as a society, might feel about whether to use GMOs or non-GMOs, because “there are benefits to both.”

“But if we want to minimize pressures on land use, I think we have to adopt the technology,” he said.

“We have to keep investing in technology.”

The topic for the next Green Drinks event is “Beyond the Valley: Could industry in Sarnia-Lambton be headed for greener pastures?” The event takes place Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at Ups N’ Downs in Sarnia.